The 6 Hours of Fuji marks a major milestone in the World Endurance Championship this coming weekend: The race in Japan will be the 100th since the FIA WEC’s debut at the start of the 2012 season. Porsche has competed at every round on the world’s premier endurance racing stage. Thanks to 21 outright victories and more than 50 class wins, the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer is among the most successful brands in the WEC.
Riding the momentum of the Porsche 963’s first overall win of the 2025 WEC season in Austin, Texas, the Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team heads into the penultimate round brimming with confidence. The squad has particularly fond memories of Japan: in 2024, Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and André Lotterer triumphed on Fuji’s Formula 1 circuit, securing their second win of the season and paving the way to the world championship crown. “We’re determined to build on that success and keep closing the gap in the manufacturers’ standings,” says Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport.
The Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team will once again field two Porsche 963 prototypes. The number 5 car will be shared by Frenchman Julien Andlauer and his compatriot Mathieu Jaminet, who replaces Danish driver Michael Christensen. In the sister car, French driver Kévin Estre joins forces with Belgium’s Laurens Vanthoor. The Proton Competition customer outfit will also tackle the top Hypercar class with an identical hybrid prototype. In the LMGT3 category, Manthey 1st Phorm aims to take another step towards the title with the Porsche 911 GT3 R, while the Iron Dames are targeting their first podium finish of the season in another 911.
00:00This transition from night into day is always a very chaotic one, full of drama.
00:18So it's a question of how you can manage that without making mistakes.
00:22I think because there's so much chaos going on right now.
00:26The race is really beginning.
00:34Normally the time in the morning is also so-called happy hours because you know the sun is coming up, the track is warming up but the air is still cold so normally the cars are good on aero, good on engine power.
00:44Unfortunately we had this issue on 92.
00:48Had a little lock up into Mulsanne corner and then afterwards having a big explosion on the tire which ripped the car to parts.
00:56The guys are amazing, they're so fast, they're so efficient. I owe these guys a lot and yeah I'm just so sorry for this to happen.
01:04Lost almost three laps now, cars back in the race but yeah we have to see what we can do from there.
01:17Now it looks like the Corvettes are a bit out of the game and at the moment we are fighting with the Ferrari for the victory.
01:22It's quite tight, we hope to have a good car at the end for the last four and a half, five hours. Let's see what we got.
01:28We closed the gap to the Ferrari and now definitely we are in a fight. We need to be capable at one point to be just behind them at the right moment.
01:43Happy with P2, podium at Le Mans is pretty special.
01:47This is my first Le Mans, to be on the podium is, I have no words.
01:52I mean it's the last year of the RSR, I think that car deserved or the whole project deserved that victory.
01:59It's a great feeling and I'm extremely proud of everybody.
02:02This RSR is quite special you know, to win with her here, it's a nice achievement.
02:07The car was a rocket, we have had some bad luck over the years but Le Mans is choosing the winner, this time it was us.
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